Groundhog Day

How was yours?

Decided to go back to the beginning this morning having last night dug out my first 22 rimfire, a Czechoslovakia stamped Brno of early 60's Vintage.

Settling down beneath a wonky spruce I note a series of pale shapes about 120 yards away as I tighten into the leather rifle sling. Elbows comfy on knees I ignore what I assume to be newly stacked timber until the logs start moving!

Immediately I kick myself for a; - having my Zeiss 8X30's rather than Leica 15 power binos and b; - only a 22 rimfire at hand for what I'm looking at is the first fallow I've seen on my patch since last August and to make it worse there is 18 of them - 3 of which are pure white - my favourite!

I do my best to assess each one but struggle in the half-light with the small Zeiss but brightness aside what I really need is magnification as I'm convinced a number have escaped from a park and may have tags to confirm such. I resist the temptation to track them with the compact Burris rimfire scope.
At 07:15hrs precisely they melt back into the wood and as the last horse shoe marking disappears a squirrel jumps up accommodatingly onto some fallen timber no more than 40 yards away. The CCI sub-sonic takes the old boy through the shoulders with a resounding thwack. Can't be sure about the shadow but even in death he managed to momentarily grasp a branch after falling 3ft before letting go and landing between two young wind-felled beech.

The only other shot I get is at a rabbit at c60 yards with help from a single stick. Very satisfying though as only it's head visable and with need to thread bullet through one or two obstacles.

Back to basics. Back to the beginning. And back tomorrow with something beginning with "K"!
 
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The Fallow would have known what rifle you had which is why they showed. Fallow are only put on this earth to ridicule us stalkers!
I quite often go for a 'walk' with the 25.06 on one shoulder and either the .22LR or a .177 HW100 on the other. Pretty much covers all bases and avoids ridicule as described!! Also great fun if there are no deer about, but not too noisy to disturb any that are. A recent trip out for me produced 2 Muntjac Does, 2 Rabbits and 2 Squirrels! I actually prefer the .177 PCP as it is good out to 50m and can also be used for tree dwellers!
In answer to your question though my day has been good!
After a nice Fallow Doe at last light yesterday, I then had a small Muntjac Buck this morning and a large Muntjac Buck this afternoon! Having had all of 3 hours sleep last night due to a vomitting child and then an early start, I am now requiring a couple of Hobgoblins and a comfy bed!!
MS
 
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The Fallow would have known what rifle you had which is why they showed. Fallow are only put on this earth to ridicule us stalkers!
I quite often go for a 'walk' with the 25.06 on one shoulder and either the .22LR or a .177 HW100 on the other. Pretty much covers all bases and avoids ridicule as described!! Also great fun if there are no deer about, but not too noisy to disturb any that are. A recent trip out for me produced 2 Muntjac Does, 2 Rabbits and 2 Squirrels! I actually prefer the .177 PCP as it is good out to 50m and can also be used for tree dwellers!
In answer to your question though my day has been good!
After a nice Fallow Doe at last light yesterday, I then had a small Muntjac Buck this morning and a large Muntjac Buck this afternoon! Having had all of 3 hours sleep last night due to a vomitting child and then an early start, I am now requiring a couple of Hobgoblins and a comfy bed!!
MS

You don't fancy a combo then?
 
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